Kelly Oubre Jr. of the Philadelphia 76ers channeled his inner Joakim Noah earlier this week.
Let me explain …
At the end of a one-score game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, Kelly Oubre Jr. had a chance to win the game. The 76ers’ forward drove toward the rim only to be met by Paul George in the middle of the paint. Both players left their feet and collided, while Kawhi Leonard flew into the frame to block Oubre’s shot attempt.
This secured the 108-107 victory for Los Angeles. And neither head coach Nick Nurse of Oubre was very happy about it. Nurse immediately stormed the court to yell at the referees about the lack of a foul call. Oubre quickly joined the scuffle to add some choice words.
Let me know if his reaction rings a bell …
I don’t know about you, but as I watched Oubre specifically give each ref a special message, I immediately thought of Joakim Noah. One of the big man’s most memorable moments came in a game against the Sacramento Kings after a late whistle was blown.
The Chicago Bulls legend screamed at the ref and received a quick ejection from the game. How did he respond? By sending every ref on the floor a good old-fashioned “f*** you.”
You can refresh your memory here:
I guess even temper tantrums have been hit with inflation! Noah was fined $15,000 in 2014 for the episode, while both Oubre and Nurse were hit with $50,000 fines. The NBA announced the news on Friday morning and called out both for “verbally abusing” officials.
For what it’s worth, Oubre immediately appeared to regret his choice after the game. The veteran apologized in the locker room for losing his cool and wanted to ask for forgiveness.